Armour: Not racing should have been obvious to Tony Stewart

Sitting out today's race at Watkins Glen was the right thing -- the only thing -- for Tony Stewart to do.

It never should have been a question.

Hours after his team's tactless announcement that it would be "business as usual" despite Stewart hitting and killing Kevin Ward Jr. during a sprint car race in upstate New York on Saturday night, Stewart wisely reversed course. The emotions were simply too much for everyone involved, Stewart said in a statement, acknowledging that a race track was the last place he should be right now.

Though police say charges have not been ruled out, there is no evidence of criminal intent. But a man is dead and, criminal or not, Stewart is responsible as the driver of the car that hit Ward. Racing not even 24 hours later would have trivialized the gravity of the situation.

Everyone grieves in different ways, and it's true that sports have provided much-needed solace during times fraught with emotion and sadness. The NFL and Major League Baseball helped the entire nation heal in the dark days following 9/11. Adrian Peterson played two days after the death of his young son while Brett Favre took the field the day after his father died.

But Ward's death was far too personal for Stewart to go anywhere near a track. He needs time to cry, to question, to grieve, to be surrounded by the love and support of those closest to him.

Racing is a dangerous sport, and anyone who climbs into a car has made his or her peace with that. But there is a big difference between taking your life in your hands and taking someone else's life, and Stewart needs time to process the emotional fallout. He said in his statement that "there aren't words" to describe his sadness at the crash, and police said he was "visibly shaken" after.

There is no room for distraction in a car that weighs more than a ton and can go well over 200 mph, and Stewart would have been faced with reminders of Ward and the fatal crash at every turn. It's a good bet Stewart didn't get much, if any, sleep on Saturday night, either, and that surely would have affected his reactions.

Some said Stewart should have raced to honor Ward's memory. Others crassly said Stewart would be a fool to give up the precious points that could get him into the Chase. (Regan Smith will drive Stewart's car, instead.)

In May 2006, Stewart pours water on someone below the stage as he waits during driver introductions at Richmond International Raceway. He got his first Cup win at the track in 1999. (Photo: Eileen Ryan, USA TODAY Sports)